me: "oh, fuck off. you're the one who was threatening to spoon me shortly after I met you."
corbett: "I didn't know you were going to like it!"
me: "well, fuck; neither did I."
corbett: "shut up and take the shot.
also, pour some beam into the slurpees."
me: "dude, it's 3 pm."
[pause]
"let's roll."
and that was how we kicked off one hell of a saturday at whistler.
the thing about posting lately is that I sit down and end up wanting to write three things in one, and in doing so end up doing nothing. I guess the most intuitive thing would be to write all three, so, uh, here goes. no neil-fu this post, and I'll explain that one later.
the thing about whistler for me is that none of the things that you're supposed to be doing, seeing, thinking about, or planning for are the ones that stick with you. This year's short themes for me were: bonding with Bock (things are cyclical; this was my year to watch over the puker and make sure he had water while he slept) and T-Whatever (Cosy/Rex/Bone/Bag/etley); coming back up to speed on ACF; quality time with Ryan; getting comfortable with my satellite-like status; and seeing Pringle again.
came back from whistler, passed out in the office (and didn't go home) then went out to sushi to see Jill, going from Old Man to young'un, and walking in to meet Paul to be introduced with "this is Gerald. we became friends after he puked on my feet." It was nice to reconnect on both ends, to remind myself of this transitory phase (within a transitory phase) and also to where I want to be in six months, as a motivation.
there's more to say here, and I'll get back to it later; for now I'm going to ogle cameras and create a savings plan to afford one.
my image host packed the fuck up and bailed on hosting with nary an email to their subscribers.
jerks.
I think it's time to retire this layout anyway, so it'll seem a little boring (okay, fine, really boring) until I throw down a new one.
I am learning to be okay with things, and also to change the things that need changing before they become... problematic.
I am trying (and advising others, which seems strange at this junction) to move in the direction of happiness, be the happiness in the movement, journey, or endpoint (ideally all three).
I am attempting to be less paranthetical, and I don't think I can do it alone.
I am not going to school tomorrow, and I don't know how I feel about that.
I think things will only be as I let them be.
I am working full-time, doing data entry (interviewing people didn't pan out; I didn't really like it and I'd get headaches at least once a week.) and since I spend eight hours a day in front of a keyboard typing, doing more of it recreationally seems... counterintuitive, at best.
It's strange that no blog and no regular contact has made what interaction remains a little more intense; I am now a weekend warrior of some degree and cannot wait until this is no longer the case.
I have never been so aware of my teeth, mostly because they hurt like motherbitches.
gah.
Al's party was fun, and included all sorts of mildly ridiculous things, like drunken baking, pancakes, and shots of whiskey toasted to being in the closet from our parents.
Also JD. So much JD.
Lots of awesome bizarro conversations were had, including this one (which was pretty up there but not the best, but I can't remember the other one so whatever.
Steve: "what's your next movie about, Al?"
Pat: "gay cowboys eating pudding."
me: "cowboys are on their way out, I think. Gay pirates, perhaps. What about gay ninja? You'd just show two hours of bamboo forest, because when ninja have a secret forbidden love, it stays secret."
I like the sound of "obfuscate.ca", partially because it'd make for neat email addresses, but it's counterintuitive.
Last night, I drunkenly proposed to Jackie that we start up some sort of webzine thing in the vein of McNorton's ill-fated (and badly color-schemed, if I'm going to be absolutely honest here) "Exit Pill" project thing.
I'm not sure where or when or why, but I like the idea of it, and maybe putting up some sort of actual personal website, with things that aren't a blog. Both'd give me a chance to stretch my design muscles and do some non-academic writing that isn't mired in navelgazing.
anyone else interested?
also: name suggestions are welcome.
renewed my learners today; did the test in 6.1 minutes with a 93% score.
the weirdest bit was that I was eligible for tests immediately, and would be expected to stick to the first GLP rule set when I get my N (so I can have non-family passengers).
I never really bothered with my license because I lived in Vancouver and didn't really need to drive, and then I was in three car accidents and was uncomfortable in them (and still have some anxiety surrounding driving) but I'll be able to deal with them now, I think.
Canon EOS 5D 12.8MP Digital Camera (Body)
This is waaaay too good to be true, because the camera body retails for upwards of $4000. Keeping this in mind, I sent the seller a list of questions, and we'll see what the response is like (if there is one).
If this is legit though... holy shit.
[edit: it was taken down by the craigslist gang, so I guess someone called them on the scam. such is life: if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.]
questions
- I assume it's used. What sort of condition is it in?
- What is included with the camera?
- is there any warranty? is it a Canadian market camera or an import?
- how many photos has it taken?
- is there any way for us to meet up so I can have a look at the camera?
haven't said anything because there's not much to say.
no work.
no impending school.
nobody new.
just braces, jobhunt, and comics.
---
maybe a redesign soon.
maybe buying a camera.
we'll see.
hrm.
it appears names really do have power, because Sherry, Nina, and Saunders (the guppies) are all dead. They had bits missing from their tails and thusly I suspect Jack and Aaron (the fighting fish) did it. Aaron tolerates Logan for some periods of time, but chases him around the bowl roughly one in every ten minutes.
...I need to get out more.
...I want to live!
haven't posted for a while due to work (90 hours! 6 days! one festival! I'm a professional now!) as well as Debutante Ball preparations and whatnot (ps send me your photos) and continuing the job hunt, but rest assured that the Coles Notes are slowly being compiled.
anyway: came home Saturday night to discover that my sister had bought four guppies to keep Jack and Aaron (my pet fighting fish who live in separate bowls) company. I didn't think this was a good idea, but decided to let it slide, probably because I was too tired to deal with it.
The guppies were put in, two to a bowl, yesterday, and seemed to have acclimatized as of last night. As of this morning, though, Jack and Aaron were chasing their respective guppies around the bowl, leading me to change their names from Mike and Palmer (for Aaron's guppies) to Sherry and Logan, and from Tony and Curtis (for Jack's guppies) to Nina and Saunders.
and yes, there is a theme.
I haven't done one of these for a while, which means that most of you probably haven't either. It's really very simple: pick five songs you've been listening to a lot in the last week, and write a couple lines about them and/or how they reflect on the greater context of, well, you.
Here I go (in no order):
Okkervil River - Another Radio Song
I've written and rewritten this blurb four times, and no matter which way I approach it, I end up with a conclusion I'm thoroughly unsatisfied with. Give it a couple listens. Maybe it'll grab you the same way it did me. Who knows.
...and you will know us by the trail of dead - Heart in the Hand of the Matter
The odd one out. I'm not really sure what to make of it except maybe that the iPod likes it a lot and sneaks it into shuffle. Of course, anthromorphizing a piece of consumer electronics is a whole other barrel of monkeys.
Rogue Wave - 10:1
Infectious sunshine pop. Waking up to this (as I've been doing lately) is like punching morning doldrums in the face.
Calexico - Sunken Waltz
I don't know why, but if you write anything not classical in 3/4 time, I will put it on repeat, and probably add it to the running playlist on my iPod called "Waltzes." No idea, but I'm a total sucker for 'em. This is another one of those.
Barenaked Ladies - Too Little Too Late"Be good
I would
If only I was understood"
[sigh]
all five can be downloaded here
it's a yousendit link, so it'll expire after 25 downloads or a week. I'll put it up again if necessary, so long as the requester puts up their own Five in Heavy Rotation.
had two interviews last week, and just got the rejection email from the second one.
here I go again (on my own).
Jess: "who would possibly leave an 8-track player in a bush?"
Me: "squirrels. [pause]
squirrels with funk."
looks like I lost another image host, so both the friends page and my images'll be down for a bit.
bleh.
it occurs to me that one of those things that I intended to write about and never got around to was the result of my trip to the orthodontist in early April.
To get my teeth all correctly aligned and functioning turned out to be a three-part project; two of which I was expecting, and one that I wasn't.
The first was to pull five teeth; three wisdom, one molar, and one bicuspid (not six as I'd previously thought; I was looking at two halves of one tooth). That went... okay - I escaped nerve damage and infection, lost a bunch of weight, and have awesome/awful stories to tell about the small talk that was had between the hygienist and oral surgeon as they went about the whole process (I was conscious and on Valium.)
The second is braces. They're going to be painful and awkward. There may be headgear involved, and timeframe on that appears to be in the region of two to two and a half years. Given that my jaws are apparently very well constructed, I wouldn't be surprised if they took longer.
The third, and unexpected one, is that I need jaw surgery, to move my jaws back into alignment. It shouldn't require breaking them, but I haven't seen the maxillofacial surgeon yet and don't know if that prognosis'll change. That'll happen about a year after I get the braces in, and takes about two and a half months to recover from.
and that's what I get to look forward to.
rock-paper-scissors? old and busted.
cat-tinfoil-microwave? move on over.
Cowboy-Ninja-Bear is where it's now, apparently, at. The dude includes a nine-option variant, but that's just stupid.
Boost drinks (which I've been consuming when I've been away from home)
have this really weird aftertaste of creamed corn.
the worst part is that I've been drinking the "Mocha" flavor.
it's about as bad as you think.
not necessarily a new one, but one about novels.
William Gibson, for all his "father of cyberpunk" cred, really, really likes exploring the interface between art and technology.
...I wonder how he feels about CSS.
the good news: I have "jaws like cement"
the bad news: I had six teeth pulled yesterday. All of them had to be broken in the socket and removed piece by piece.
the ugly: I sneezed and it looks like someone got shot in our driveway.
___
I'm not going anywhere for the next few days.
Sorry, Spence. Have a safe trip and a good night.
just checking something out.
there will be more of these random posts that come and go; I'm testing things out, using the "throw it against the wall and see if it sticks" method.
incidentally, it's a great way to test the doneness of pasta.
anyway:
wow.
that was a lot of drinking.
a lot a lot.
jesus.
also, I'm still amused that nobody told Dave about Gary.
I understand the rationale, and I appreciate that you care, but holy crap it was hi-larious to watch Dave piece things together (especially since we were playing Never Have I Ever)
also: I wrote a bunch of stuff in a post below about things that are exciting. If you want to know about them, ask me in person, because sometimes, it's better to leave stories off the internets.
it's sort of strange to remember that the blog is more for and about me than it is about any real audience, and resultantly, I occasionally will throw down posts that are more markers for memories than intended for any real outside consumption.
I guess on the one hand, they're a peek inside my (mess of a) head, but at the same time, they're wildly incomplete, and I'm unlikely to flesh them out.
there'll be a couple backdated posts popping up here and there, but nothing too major; but if you find yourself poking through the archives and seeing a post you don't remember as being there, that's probably why.
I haven't written about anything lately, and the last two weeks have been packed full of exciting happenings, so here's an outline of what's coming, depending on how procrastinatory I feel.
things to talk about:
- last EA meeting
- production week
- tube fights
- day-of
- five things you didn't know about control
- post-fair radio
- safety meeting #1
- cleanup
- safety meeting #2
- staff dinner
- post-staff dinner happenings
- hanging with bock and andy
- birthday
- jess'
- dinner
- awards
- board games
- pancakes
there's a lot to write about, in terms of fair, and post-fair, and one certain post-fair happening, and news on the orthodontic front.
it'll come later.
birthday plans: I don't know what to do. so far, I've been invited to play board games with Jess and co, but Awards Night is also that night, and I'm not huge on taking a large posse to a house party that's not mine.
I propose a simple dinner at the Great Wall Mongolian BBQ on Broadway, before (or ideally between) drinking.
thoughts?
2 hours to production week
3 days until fair
7 days until orthodontist consult
10 days until birthday (I'm thinking dinner before E7A Awards - suggestions?)
18 days until first exam
22 days until last exam
24 days until joblessness
30 days until wisdom teeth out
last night was absurd.
what started out as the intention to play manhunt and then go to liver training before going to Tim's to sleep (and then wake up and go to MexiCali) turned into the following:
- Some sort of Engineering beer garden, in which I played a low of XvSF against Alex from SUS
- Liver Training, where I paid for things, but then my money was no good, and so I got loaded on free good beer.
- I don't know what it is with me and the 29 year old guys, but I accidentally sort of almost picked one up. But then it got weird, and Tim stepped in as a Federal Air Marshal (he enforces no-fly lists) but that didn't work out too well, and he ended up coming to the party Patricia said I needed to wingman for her at, where I also ran into:
- Jack, who was drunk-tired and falling asleep on Ollie's couch, nose-cast and all
- Duck, who was approximately the same as the last time I'd seen him.
- Meg from the Bay Optical, whom I didn't recognize right away, but both of us were aware that we knew each other from somewhere, and so there was that mildly awkward sort of staredown until she said "nice glasses" and it all clicked.
I felt sort of bad when I told her that she had picked the frames I was wearing, but I'd gotten a hugely better deal elsewhere ($423+tax down to $300 all-in) and so that was a-OK with her. Bizarre, I know.
got back to Tim's at 3:30, after catching the last N22 and walking from Dunbar and 41st, and promptly fell asleep.
ye gods, guys are ridiculous.
got my first platinum card offer in the mail today.
while I realize that it's the first of many and it's successors will undoubtedly plague my mailbox and torment my shredder, the first one should be a little bit special.
so I opened it before shredding it.
whee!
never before have I not wanted to start a paper so hard that I've cleaned my bathroom (chemicals and all) instead of actually working on it.
now that everything's goddamn sparkly, I may as well get going.
in happier news, I'm writing a personality analysis of Batman, having been inspired by Gav working as much IR into his lit papers as possible.
I was definitely drunker than I thought last night, although looking back, I realize I was drinking double rum and diet cokes for most of the night, and it was probably the aspartame that masked the rum.
consequently, I had some fun and some... interesting conversations. The most notable was definitely the one where I decided that Tyler should be known henceforth as "Shuffleboard" for reasons I'm not entirely sure of.
the other one was a rambling one with Graham (not either of you that'll read this, oddly) about the importance of reminding people that they're important, and how he hadn't found that to be the case in previous endeavors which resultantly didn't go so well.
additionally, the UNA continues to blow my mind. I won't say more, so don't ask.
this isn't turning into a Wu-Tang blog, I swear.
now, for a contradictory statement and mildly ridiculous link: The GhostFace Killah Doll
I'm not sure whether I'm a larger fan of the fact that "Each collector will have a 1 in 500 chance to spend a day with Ghostface Killah himself" or that it carries a "# Gold Chalice with Swarovski crystals".
The Morning News - The Cast of Blossom vs. Wu-Tang Clan, by Pasha Malla
I'm not really sure what to say about this, except maybe that "bust you up in slow motion / burn your ass the DVD" is something that needs to be used more in daily life.
had a pair of strange dreams last night; more accurately, more than a pair but there's only two I sort of remember. I blame the green beer.
in the first, there was a Cylon invasion and I was a guerilla fighter, sneaking past enemy lines to blow up Tyllium refineries while simultaneously playing Capture the Flag with the other humans.
in the second, I broke the RAZR and had to go on a full-blown quest to get another one. There was a squire and everything. Bizarre times.
anyway, I'm off to pick up my glasses.
woo!
my brother's bluetooth headset (picture) arrived in the mail on Tuesday, but his bluetooth-enabled phone (picture) didn't get to him until last night, and so in the interval, I borrowed it to see what the fuss was and also to see if I wanted one. I think the idea of hands-free phone usage is interesting, and while the usage of the headset/phone combo was neat, I ended up looking like a total douche.
in conclusion, a small chart of pros and cons. It should be a table, but I never did figure out how to hand-code them and I'm not about to start.
Pros:
- handsfree operation
- no actual contact with phone required to place or receive calls.
- decent quality/noise reduction
- looking like the Borg
Cons:
- looking like a douche
- voice dial still has some bugs
- uncomfortable after a length of time
- looking like the Borg
I don't want one. I'm interested in what the next step is, though.
- I can't go to Electric Six tonight. Anyone want my ticket?
- new glasses get here Friday evening. I found a (not great) picture of the frames here. They were mostly covered by insurance and I'm getting a stupid deal, so I figured that going with nice frames would be worth it.
- I was offered a choice between a trip to Australia with my sister, or a big party, the kind of which I often make mad fun of. I haven't decided yet, but the fact that I'd be going to Australia with my sister makes me want to go with the party.
- The Battlestar Galactica season finale was crushing. Crushing.
you should know the following.
- I lost my glasses making out with a guy.
- I came to the conclusion that it was rather fun and that I'll probably do it again.
- Not with the same guy, though. That was a bad call.
addendum:
- I still like women. I'm not sure if I made that clear.
"Since U Been Gone" is #15 on my iTunes top played, having been played 34 times since I got my iPod.
me: "so, guess what I learned to do yesterday!"
jordie: "I hope it's not sexual."
me: "unless port forwarding is some sort of new slang, it's not sexual."
both: [helpless giggling]
This Johari meme is interesting, but I think it could be better implemented by having the first user choose more things that they feel suits them and also by maybe having a section for traits that they don't feel apply.
anyway, give mine a shot: http://kevan.org/johari?name=heeeraldo
fell down the stairs yesterday, having slipped on a drawing my cousin "decorated" the stairs with. nothing broken, but I definitely felt it this morning, so if you're wondering why I'm not sitting, now you know.
also: I figured out how to get mp3 ringtones onto my phone1, but have yet to find one that doesn't turn me into That Guy2. Any suggestions?
1. I've joined the ranks of the RAZR'd.
2. y'know - That Guy; the one wearing the band's shirt to the show (or a Guinness shirt in an Irish-themed pub), or the one whose ringtone gets stuck in your head or the one who orders the ridiculous drink, doubling your wait time. The ones responsible for an unending stream of low-level annoyances. I don't want to be one.
my alarm clock is currently in a box somewhere, and so I've been using my iPod and a pair of speakers to wake myself up. Today, it was House of Jealous Lovers, which prompted a full-on pajamaclad dance party.
after a little hungover fumbling with slippers, I remembered that I hadn't plugged my phone in and so I went to retrieve it from my coat pocket.
...and found the trial packet of lube Jess had left in there.
the process of moving and painting and scrubbing and whatnot felt a lot like production week. I'm not really sure how else to put it.
still not entirely settled; have been rearranging clothing and "stuff" and wondering where the hell the first four trades of 100 Bullets have gone.
my bed is fantastic.
my room ended up looking pretty good; I was concerned before the furniture arrived because the walls looked very boring but now that it's here they provide a balance to the overwhelming greenness of everything else. I'll put up a picture when I find the camera, mostly for Brie. Also Drew, who reads these things secretly and then spews details when you run into him at the Gallery, which is freaky as all fuck.
tangential: it's been pointed out to me that I could take the 44 and then the skytrain, thus meaning that I would traverse the entire length of the "Expo Line" every day. I'm sort of tempted.
not quite done moving, but the major stuff is over.
beds are fantastic.
the rest of my life has left me behind, though, so I've got some catching up to do, which promises to be interesting, at the very least.
also: Rob and I are going "routers and pants" shopping on saturday. anyone else interested?
three things:
actual content:
so many boxes.
SO MANY BOXES.
10 days left until we get possession of the new house, 11 until I repaint my room (grey walls/white trim, dark green furniture1 and carpet, leaf-themed fabrics2), and 13 until we move in proper.
I watched my mother talk a salesperson into reducing the price of my mattress/base thingamadoo from $599 + tax + delivery ($722 total) down to $550, all-in. it blew my mind. I guess the Force is strong in her.
footnotes:
make shirts with taglines:
- recommended for use in conjunction with pants
- i need tungsten to live
...other suggestions?
administrative:
images are down again, and I can't be bothered to set up a new ripway account; I think it might be time for me to redesign and/or move to another image host.
resolutions:
I have yet to not thoroughly fuck up my resolutions, so here's my list for 2006:
backdated because I wrote this and forgot to post it, so even though you're seeing it on the 3rd (or later), it's from the 1st.
meme starts here
1. What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before?
Ran two campaigns at once, four jobs at another time, worked on the field at the Fair, got onto the ACF Exec, spent more than half of it on the couch, succumbed to iPod fever, settled with ICBC, and signed a mortgage, which I wasn't expecting to have to do for a good five to ten years.
2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
No and yes.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
A cousin in Calgary, so sort of.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What countries did you visit?
The US.
6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004?
To move out.
7. What dates from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 8-23
January 27
February 13
February 26
March 24
April 1
April 8
April 28
May 14
October 13
October 27
Nov 7
Dec 13
Dec 30
would I like to forget the summer? yes. will I? probably not.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Leading two elections to victory, PMOing, inching my parents towards the realization that I am not, in fact, thirteen.
9. What was your biggest failure?
I gave up.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Just the opposite; the back is getting better.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
iPod, E4's.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
They know who they are.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
They know who they are, too.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Tuition. Then clothes, food, booze, etc.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Work.
16. What song will always remind you of 2005?
And Then You Kissed Me - The Cardigans.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier.
b) thinner or fatter? Maybe a few pounds thinner.
c) richer or poorer? Richer.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Gym time, studying.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Commute, meetings.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
At home.
21. Did you fall in love in 2005?
Yes. No. I'm confused.
Hold me?
22. How many one-night stands?
None.
23. What was your favourite TV program?
Battlestar Galactica.
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Nobody new.
25. What was the best book you read?
Comics, again. Fables and Fell.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
in terms of most listened to, probably Okkervil River or Wolf Parade.
in terms of obscurity, Imogen Heap, or perhaps Vitalic.
Oh, and I had an advance copy of Arular before you did, so nyar.
27. What did you want and get?
Material stuff, jobs.
28. What did you want and not get?
Material stuff, freedom.
29. What was your favourite film of this year?
none worth noting.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
20, and nothing, due to exams.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Less couch time.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004?
I like coats.
33. What kept you sane?
Dark chocolate, raspberry juice, and JD.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Fancy? Not really any of them.
Kiefer Sutherland continues to be awesome, though.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
AdScam.
36. Who did you miss?
Mostly Jill, Naf, and Neil; everyone else I see fairly frequently.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
Jess Klug. Also perhaps Bernie, because we'd met before but never actually talked.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005:
there are two types of family; the ones you're born with and the ones you choose.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
got a hand
So I got a fist
So I got a plan
It's the best that I can do
Now we'll say it's in God's hands
But God doesn't always have the best goddamn plans, does he?
so I have a waffle maker, but I have no recipe to use in it.
A search of the internet(s) provides countless recipes, all of which seem to have some interestingness. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to try them all out. Years of watching America's Test Kitchen and endless spare time have left me with the ability to pull out what ingredients affect which variables, and from there I'll eventually work out a pretty awesome recipe, I hope.
what does what is beyond the cut
these are pretty much the basics required for waffles and/or pancakes.
dry
baking powder: provides the majority of the lift, but too much leaves an unpleasant aftertaste.
flour: the structure and fillingness. too much and it's sodden, too little and you're eating an omelette.
sugar: not just sweetness, but also browning control.
salt: a pinch is necessary in any baked goods to bring the other flavors forward. put a little in your hot chocolate some time.
wet
milk: most recipes used milk instead of water. I don't know why. Maybe it's a flavor thing.
liquid fat: I don't know what this does. I think it makes the flour not build too many bonds, allowing for a tender waffle.
egg whites: when beaten and then folded in, they provide lightness to the batter.
egg yolks: richness, also so you don't have random yolks kickin' it in the fridge.
vanilla: to reduce the eggyness of it all.
tuesday:
Went to Celebrities with the intention to party down, but instead ended up people watching with Al and Neil. Half the people who were coming didn't get in, so Al and I ditched to go back to his place and watch Serenity and play the drinking game. More accurately, we were drinking according to abridged rules, else we get wasted on rules designed for a 40-minute show. Specifically: Drink when Chinese is spoken. Drink when Mal is chivalrous. Drink when powers are used for evil. Drink when people get punched. Discovered that someone had drank the Jack I'd left at Kerrisdale Alpha in preparation for the party I didn't make it to.
Was distracted by Tanqueray and raspberry ginger ale in conjunction with the AlMac on which we were watching Serenity (which was pretty cool and means I'll probably throw Firefly on the iPod next.)
wednesday:
Slept in.
Went to work.
Ran into Vanessa on the 135, which negated any concerns I had about being late. Read book Neil gave me on music writing. Worked and drank gatorade, would have been skull-crushingly bored if not for the other people there, which pretty much sums up work at the PNE.
thursday:
More PNE. Mom gave me a ride into Vancouver on her way to physio, so I got dropped off at 29th Ave station at 7:twentysomething AM, and on a #16 shortly thereafter. Had coffee at nondescript place on Hastings and Nanaimo. Had London Fog at Starbucks while waiting for Asian bakeries to open so I can get some egg tarts and other baked goods for work munching. No egg tarts within timeframe, so I trudge to work and, well, work.
Someone decides that they need to do a Starbucks run, and in a moment of confusion, I order another London Fog instead of something caffeinated to keep me awake. Said drink bites me in the ass again when it gets knocked over and onto the E4's - momentary panic and disassembly later, things are fine.
Later the same day, we get pulled aside individually as to extend contracts, which is when I mention that I won't be renewing mine, and that while it's been fun and the people are great, I think it's time to move on. And so I will. My last shift is the 30th, at which point I'll hand over the key, ID, and uniform, and go down to two jobs for the first time since... September 2004.
On way home, buy coat. You'll probably all see it soonish, as it's warm and less formal than the calf-length one.
Friday:
spend day at home, with exception of errands with mother.
I now own a wafflemaker.
we're moving at the end of January.
it's farther into Surrey, but at least I have a bedroom again. And apparently my own bathroom.
Looking at the archives, I seem to be posting big huge overviews and then not writing anything for two to three weeks at a time, which means my frontpage posts go all the way back to October.
Weirdly, my hits have gone up.
I don't know if I want to retire this or make more regular (Alasdair-style, perhaps?) posts. Maybe I'll try both and see.
from Koerner's last night with Jon F:
"...Dr. Phil's a grade A douchebag."
"See, now I don't know about that. If I had a vagina, he totally wouldn't be allowed near it."
that's not entirely true, but since most of the original things I have to say are either mopetacular or involve a certain NES-controller-tattooed girl that I'd like to see more of (and should probably call) that I'm not much in the mood to recount, you'll have to settle for the Winter Holiday A1 Wishlist meme that makes its way around, as memes are wont to do.
it's a bit longish, so it's behind some cuts.
anyway:
the instructions
my wishes
my info
Step One
Step Two
There are no rules with this project, no guarantees, and no strings attached. Just...wish, and it might come true. Give, and you might receive. And you'll have the joy of knowing you made someone's holiday special
my wishes.
my wishes
I totally lost steam between 5 and 8, but whatever.
my info
gerald dot deo at gmail dot com
gerald deo
one one six six three eighty-sixth avenue
delta, bc
v four c two x five
Remember: do what you want, put up your lists so other people can do you... up.
yet another meme/questionnaire beyond the cut:
onwards!
1. Your name spelled backwards? oeD rawhsidgaJ dlareG
2. Where were your parents born? Suva and Navua, Fiji.
3. What is the last thing you downloaded onto your computer? Soulwax's Nite Versions album.
4. What's your favorite restaurant? The Eatery, for now.
5. Last time you swam in a pool? A couple weeks ago.
6. Have you ever been in a school play? Nope.
7.Have you ever worn braces? Not yet.
8. Type of music you DISLIKE most? Noise (the genre, I mean). Pop-punk-rock, ie Billy Talent and others of its ilk.
9. Are you registered to vote? Of course.
10. Do you have cable? Yes.
11. Have you ever ridden on a moped? Not yet.
12. Ever prank-called anybody? Yes.
13. Do you have all 10 fingers and toes? Yeah, but I've almost lost a couple.
14. Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving? Yeah.
15. Furthest place you ever traveled? New Zealand.
16. Do you have a garden? No.
17. What's your favorite comic strip? Calvin and Hobbes.
18. Do you really know all the words to your national anthem? Yes. In both languages.
19. Bath or Shower, morning or night? Shower.
20. Best movie you've seen in the past month? Does the BSG miniseries count? It's about as long as a bollywood movie...
21. Favorite pizza toppings? Chicken, mushrooms and green pepper.
22. Chips or popcorn? Chips.
23. What color lipstick do you usually wear? Don't.
24. Have you ever smoked peanut shells? Raisins would be a better thing to ask.
25. Have you ever played a team sport? Nope.
26. Orange Juice or apple? Apple.
27. Who was the last person you went out to dinner with and where? With just the one person? Sarah Costa at the eatery, I think.
28. Favorite type of chocolate bar? Dark chocolate, usually Lindt 56% or 70%, also a total sucker for anything with hazelnuts.
29.When was the last time you voted at the polls? May 19.
30. Last time you ate a homegrown tomato? No idea.
31. Have you ever won a trophy? No.
32. Are you a good cook? Yes. To the max.
33. Do you know how to pump your own gas? No. I also forget how to walk, sometimes.[/sarcasm]
34. Ever ordered from an infomercial? No. Almost everywhere else, though, so maybe it's just a matter of time.
35. Sprite or 7up? 7up.
36. Have you ever had to wear a uniform to work? Yeah. House of Brussels Chocolates had me in a ridiculous maroon apron, but nothing comes close to PNE Parking's uniform of yellow polo and black pants, and no sunglasses that obscured your eyes allowed.
37. Last thing you bought at a Walgreens?
38. Ever thrown up in public? Only the once, and we all know that story...
39. Would you prefer being a millionaire or finding true love? Love.
40. Do you believe in love at first sight? ...or do I need to walk by again?
41. Can ex's be just friends? If both parties want to, and if they're okay with it not being the same.
42. Who was the last person you visited in a hospital? The last three times I've been to a hospital, it was because I was accompanying someone to emergency, so while that's not what's specifically being asked, it's the closest to an answer I've got.
43. Did you have a lot of hair as a baby? Oddly, no.
44. What message is on your answering machine? Hey, you've reached Gerald; sorry I can't take your call. Please leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
45. Where would you like to go? Back to New Zealand, and probably into Southeast Asia from there. Perhaps also South America.
46. What was the name of your first pet? My aquatic snail, Pac-Man. He had four fish friends, each named after the ghosts. I was allergic to anything with fur as a child, as we found out when my sister had a rabbit.
47. What kind of backpack do you have, and what's in it? I have a Swiss Army messenger bag and it's usually got school stuff in it (books, clipboard, notebook, dayplanner, etc) but at the moment it's got my overnight gear in.
48. Who is your best friend of the opposite sex? Patricia, Naf, Costa. I don't think of people as "best friends" all that much.
49. What is one thing you are grateful for today? Today it's painkillers.
50. What do you think about most? Change.
a standard updatey post follows:
____
the fog makes everything seem post-apocalyptic.
I want to pull out the camera, bundle up, and idly take photos while listening to Autechre or Mogwai or something equally quasihuman.
I can't, mostly because my coat's in my closet, and I can't get to my closet, and that's a dead horse and I'll beat it no more.
____
Things that have happened since Meltdown Monday:
do I want a laptop (specifically: 15" Powerbook), or do I want to go to Montreal for reading week?
The pool was where it all started going downhill, in retrospect. The water was colder than usual, I was in the moderate lane because the slow one was too full and the outdoor pool is now closed, and it was too soon after eating (30 minutes, they say. It wasn't enough.)
So I cramped, like they warn you. Left calf went right when the water became warm again, roughly 150 meters in (I usually swim 500).
Stop. Stretch. Breathe. Go.
Right calf at 225m. You can't gasp underwater. Trust me.
Walked out, showered, left. I think, somewhere in there, among the chlorine and pool noodles, my groove/mojo/whatever continues to float, blissfully abandoned amongst the lapping water and cheery flags, free of my (mainly, but not limited to, work/work/work/school) stress and assorted hangups.
Fucker.
Get back to the Orientations Office to pick my iPod up from Rob (don't take your valuables to the Aquatic Centre, the signs say. So I don't.) Plug my headphones back in, wire up (cords go down the back of my shirt, else I swear I'd choke myself inadvertently.), and go to change the song, because Rob had been listening to Blur and I felt like the Cardigans.
It freezes. I grumble, wait, and reset.
The logo flashes, silver on a black screen.
The hard drive makes several ugly, obstructed clicking noises, and then simply shuts down. Sad iPod pops up and tells me to visit Apple Support's website.
I swear. A lot. It looks like a total hard drive failure. It's three weeks old. Part of me is relieved that it happened under warranty. Most of me is mad, though - I didn't drop $540 to have it die on me in three weeks and have to send it in, with only a chance of receiving a new one.
Forward to 4pm. I'm in my office, replying to emails (so far, four people have emailed to say they'll be skipping the next EA meeting. Time management: clearly not a strong suit.) Also, Brie's USB-to-iPod cable in hand, jumping through Apple Support hoops to perhaps restore my iPod. And failing miserably. And trying to resist the urge to two-fist Diet Mountain Dew Energy. Succeed.
Vanessa calls. "Hey, you're scheduled to be here. Where are you?"
Swear some more. Give up on iPod. Run to Gage, return cable to Brie. Then to the bus loop.
Bus to PNE, e-headphone-ated and stuck listening to the conversations of others without actually meaning to; I blame ACF radios and years of headphone usage for allowing me to timeslice well enough to follow two conversations at once. Kill 2.5 hours on MSN, news sites and blogs. Make Apple send me a box to ship my iPod to them so they can send me another one. Commiserate with boss about how stupid this day has been. Get away with breaking dress code to small pieces, and spend shift in a New Pornographers tee and jeans, as opposed to the business casual that is laid out in Policies and Procedures. This is, perhaps, an aluminum lining.
Leave PNE for home. Miss bus. Go to Starbucks to kill the half-hour. Make fun of eggnog barista. Am told that I'll be remembered, because she can ask me if I want Chicken Milk Chai Lattes. I didn't, and don't think that'll change. One Pumpkin Spice Latte and about twently minutes later, I get on the #16. About five minutes later, someone vomits in the stairwell of the bus.Magical. Everyone opens the nearest window and the bus' temperature drops. Huddled in my coat, resenting everyone and everything packed into this metal-and-rubber trolleywired contraption, I remember what the word I'm looking for: Ack.
Ack ack ack, Jackie would say.
Now, I'm writing the first lab report since the ill-fated Crab Paper of first year, on how dilute a solution of orange extract in water can be before it stops being detectable by a variety of noses. Before this month is over, I'll have to write another one about experiments I've performed on a virtual lab rat.
Egh. Ack.
Fuck, whatever. I have work to do.
Velociraptor Boyfriend: a pair of my favorite pointless one-shot comics.
I've probably referenced them before, but they're that good.
additionally, I was quoted in today's Metro. I blame Spencer.
there's a music-meme-thing up on the Livejournal, which you should give a shot.
In terms of me:
- the new iPod is fantastic, but it's got slight scratches already somehow.
- work is the same
- school is the same
- I need to buy sweaters
- Brie still has my damn scarf
- I go to the pool from 12:30 to 1:30 five days a week. you should come.
it's been a weird-ass couple of days.
but first, a small recap of earlier this week:
- Claudia revealed that she'd been playing Six Degrees of Gerald, which is awesome but mostly horrifying (in an ego-boost-tastic way).
- Had a phone conversation with Siraz in which he nudged me towards saying yes to Control.
- Joblink Dave had a dream with me in it.
- I talked with someone who wasn't really a friend in highschool, but is becoming more of one, and she somehow managed to take my disparate interests and skills and fuse them into a career (socially sustainable HR consulting) which sounds doable and exciting.
- I spoke to Naf on the phone.
- The 7 statements meme exploded on my LJ friends page, which led to some interesting insight on how I'm seen and how I see other people.
- Along those lines, Butterscotch Superman is an awesome descriptor.
Now, for some Braun-Fu:
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
______
Thursday was marked by the Money Order Fiasco, in which I managed to lose and then find $1300 in money orders, with the help of one of the pastors at the Lutheran Centre and an anonymous person who saw me drop them from the 3rd floor of GSAB, and returned them to the bank. It was a scary fucking hour, retracing my steps and trying desperately to catch a glimpse of the envelope on the background of leaves, until I gave up and trudged back to the bank.
Devoid of any feeling, wondering what the hell I was going to do about my now-missing $1300, I trudged back to the CIBC in the village, only to find that some anonymous benefactor had returned them. I went weak in the knees. I almost jumped the counter and hugged the teller.
It was relief on a seismic scale.
Two absolute strangers, one of whom ended her conversation and put off whatever she was doing to help me find the envelope, and another who returned the envelope and refused to provide any contact information to the bank tellers. I'm still sort of surprised, in a good way.
Friday wasn't at all what I was expecting - I had planned on going to class, then Exec Committee, and then working on EA stuff and my distance ed course before making an appearance chez Hicks and then going home.
Started off the day with buying large Toblerones with which to thank the Rescuers of Thursday. Ended up missing them both entirely, and leaving notes with respective secretaries. Exec Meeting was blissfully uneventful. Ended up wandering around the SUB with Jackie post AMS-birthday-cupcakepalooza, buying a leather cuff, and then taking the bus downtown together, conversing the entire time, parting at Granville Station, as I got off to catch a Skytrain.
After returning a shirt and recieving a phone call, I went home, prepared to gird my loins and do battle with Canada Customs about some sort of $352 charge levied on my free iPod. It turned out that it was assessed at $352, so I had to cough up roughly $60 (GST, PST, and an $8 Express Postage Handling Fee, which is nine kinds of BS),which is still stupid, but since I had to sell the thing the next day, I figured "what the hell" and paid it. Went home, downloaded comics and didn't do much. Apparently missed an epic desk crawl.
Saturday's plan: sell iPod, go swimming, hole up in office and work, go drinking.
Most of it went well, I sold the iPod (yes, Brie, I sold it for far more than I should have, but if people can't be arsed to look up that there's a new one out and that my resale should've been about $70 lower, then it's not my fault... right?) then beelined to the bank (for obvious reasons).
I didn't go swimming, and I didn't get nearly as much work done as I would've liked (see also: 64-person list meme on the LJ), and I missed the closing of the campus LDB by twenty minutes, so I had to make a detour to the one on 4th and Alma. Ran into Britt and Hurley, with whom I ended up buying SoCo, Coke, Colts, and limes before walking with them back to Hurley's place upon which I kept going to Drew's party.
I didn't hang out with Hurley in high school; we sat next to each other in Info Tech 11, and he dated someone in the mini in the year ahead of me, so we'd garner a nod in passing, or a micro-conversation at parties, but it was good to catch up with him and have the same conversation that people who've left somewhere (high school, college, working at an office, etc) have: where you talk about who's doing what now, and how weird it is to be "Dave, who plays poker."
It's not like it matters, but: Britt, I approve. ;)
Drew (and his party) were delightful. Got horribly drunk and a little high, argued that eight pairs of shoes doesn't merit a collection, was confused by girls, probably confused some girls, offended Nate, and ended up walking back to Rob's at about 3am. Apparently, me and Rob walk too damn fast, because Eurassia and Jordie showed up a bunch later and were... less than pleased with us.
On the walk back, though, I had a good, long talk with Rob about a lot of things that I don't entirely remember, but by the end of the whole thing, I felt a lot more sure of stuff than I had for a good long while.
_______
The upshot of it all?
I walked home from the bus stop in the rain, headphones on, listening to the New Pornographers, being pleased.
It's been too long.
sold the iPod. got $360 for it, which went into buying this. 60 gigs, black, ETA: November 1.
combined with this amp and these canalphones, I'll finally have the portable setup I've wanted for ages.
one of the many reasons I like the new Batgirl (other than the fact she's a walking tribute to neuroplasticity) is that that she can pull all sorts of stuff that Batman can't. Like PUNCHING THROUGH SWORDS.
I won't lie. I thought that frame was sorta hot.
stolen from Caitlin's blog (ie, the one most of you don't know)
Leave your name and
1. I'll respond with something random about you.
2. I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3. I'll pick a flavor of jello to wrestle with you in.
4. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me.
5. I'll tell you my first/clearest memory of you.
6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
8. If I do this for you, you must post this on your journal. You MUST. It is written. (or whatever, I don't really give a shit)
I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I firmly believe that one day, I'll make it through a leadership multi-day orientation/focus thing without acquiring a stunning hangover.
This wasn't that day.
Between the two halves of the Equity Ambassador Fall Retreat, there was Kerrisdale Alpha's Housewarming Party, which was a fantastic time. I can't list all the moments of absurdity, stunningly geeky one-liners, so here're seven top choices, or more accurately, the seven I remember, because chances are high people said sillier and/or funnier things, and I just don't remember them now.
to do:
you can tell how stressed out I am by how much diet coke I drink in a day.
today's count? 3.
a bad day's count? upwards of 5.
1. The New Pornographers show was fantastic. I should start taking my camera to shows again.
Bought a shirt at the show, which my father hugely disapproved of. I can't say I'm surprised.
2. This is, apparently, what I'd look like as a South Park character. You can make your own here.
3. I feel behind and I don't know why. Aside from the one class (which is distance ed and the textbook is still on back order), I've been pretty good about stuff.
Egh.
for reasons I've never fully grasped, I enjoy tracking packages. It's the ideal combination of excitement about packages in the mail, minus the worry of "am I going to miss it?"
hence: the newest one.
it's my free iPod; since I used Jill's address to sign up for it when it was a US-only site, it has to get shipped to her and then up to me.
whee!
if you want a free full-size iPod, sign up under Spencer here (self-promotion is useless because I've gone as far as they'll let me go)
if you want a free iPod Nano, sign up under me here.
Blogger has word verification on comments, so that spambots don't lay waste to one's comment box in hopes of peddling pills or other less... savory things.
the blogger article on it is here: Blogger Help, and even if it hasn't started being a problem, (I'm looking at you, Aleks), I recommend turning it on. Plus, it's sort of fun to see what random words you'll have to put in before you can leave a message.
first EA meeting went well; people were excited and we have a good team and there's lots of good ideas.
can't shake the feeling that I'm going to make a giant clusterfuck of things.
--
the PNE is (finally, thankfully) winding down, so I'm only working a couple evenings for the rest of the month and even less in October, so I'm no longer considering going down to two jobs.
--
classes are interesting. I'm going to try and finish my distance ed course by the end of April instead of August. We'll see how it goes.
--
I always enjoy it when life imitates art.
--
having had success in obtaining a free iPod, I'm trying again for a free iPod nano. Blame geek lust, I guess. Click here if you want to help me get one and start your own free electronics odyssey.
leave it to my sister to add a less-than-wonderful end to what was otherwise probably the best first day of classes I've had at UBC.
interesting class? check.
good times at Imagine? check.
people? check.
beer? check.
stupid sanctimonious room-thieving cow of a sister lecturing me because I complain too much about my a) bedroomlessness and b) commute? could've done without it.
I haven't written much lately, mostly because there isn't much to write about - I've basically been working or drinking, with little of the inbetween state or much in the way of other activity.
Patricia thinks I should write more, and though she claims it's because she needs more reading material I think it's actually because she knows I feel better about things when they're available for the world to see.
A rundown of things follows:
Work: there's too much of it. I quit at tours. Maybe I should go down to two jobs.
Home: my sister won't be getting divorced until January. Moving out is now a higher priority.
School: two classes left to get into (POLI 100 and 220), and I should buy textbooks soonish.
Free iPod: I've been approved, now I just have to order one. I'm going to wait until Apple reveals whatever it reveals next Wednesday, so that maybe I can get whatever's new and awesome for free.
Music: Listening to The Cardigans a lot. Can't wait to go on a ticket-buying spree. Going to the Killers/BSP show, by which I mean going to BSP and then walking out of the Killers.
Other Geekery: I'm tempted to redesign.
1. comments are open to all, as long as you can prove you're a person.
2. I'm on the facebook now.
Ultra Secret Shirt Preview
this is pretty much what I'll be submitting to Threadless.
Thoughts?
Comments?
as much as I enjoy getting comments from anyone and everyone, I don't appreciate comment spam. As such, I've turned anonymous commenting off, at least until blogger finds some vaguely elegant way of stopping it.
If you don't want to register but still want to comment, drop me an email; moc [dot] liamg [at] oed [dot] dlareg is the address to send them to (but backwards).
here's a mockup: 
It's somewhat Neil-inspired, because he says "serenity now" a lot.
previous designs were in different colors (the color scheme still isn't settled), used different fonts/placements, and one even had the text upside down; logic being that you'd look down at your shirt and be calmed.
thoughts?
so, I spent my "day off" (I didn't go to work, but I emailed people like there was no tomorrow) designing a shirt for threadless.com. Sort of. The process went more like this:
so, remember this post, with the getting people to sign up and the having gotten my requisite five?
yeah, I didn't quite do that.
so, if you're looking to acquire a free iPod and want to help me out, click this link and sign up.
if you're entirely uninterested and wouldn't mind $10 for jumping through a couple internet hoops, email me (gerald.deo@gmail.NINJAcom; vanquish ninja to proceed.) and then click this link.
I figure $10 for an iPod is still better than $400.
